Arctic blessing

Jan 17, 2023, 09:06 PM

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"My biomusic composition was inspired by the sounds of the mysterious narwhals rhythmic clicking, chirping and mystical vocalizations.

"This sound project provided the motivation to research the effects of ocean anthrophony (sounds generated by human activities) and how it affects marine animals on multiple levels. Most human-created sounds in the ocean have a far ranging negative and dramatic impact on marine life. The physiology, feeding and mating behaviors as well as their very survival are impacted by human intrusion and climate change.

My compositional goal was to feature the mythical Narwhal’s communication sounds by creating an underlying ambient soundscape, one that reimagined both anthrophonic and biophonic deep water sounds of the Arctic region."

Narwhal reimagined by Tom Thompson.

Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds

IMAGE: Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication ("CCO 1.0 Dedication”), New York Public Library